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Any tips to help recovery for a COVID Long-Hauler?
Post-COVID Recovery & COVID-19 | Last Active: Dec 26, 2022 | Replies (115)Comment receiving replies
Hi. I’m 58 and in January I had a bad case of COVID. I wasn’t hospitalized thankfully but I have asthma and I struggled with a severe cough and breathlessness among other symptoms. It took 2 weeks to start feeling a little better. However I have been dealing with the extreme fatigue, body aches and brain fog ever since.
Just for clarity of my situation: for over 30 years I have dealt with severe back pain due to a car wreck in my 20’s. After years of painful treatment I went to Mayo. After more procedures I was diagnosed with CSS (Central Sensitization Syndrome) and the only options left for my back is fusion or another equally unpleasant procedure that may not help.🤷🏼♀️ Due to the back pain I have learned that when I exert myself, like gardening which I love, I’ll be in more pain for a few days after. I’ve learned to live with this.
However now if I have a day when I don’t have immobilizing fatigue and try to work in my garden, the next few days I’m basically useless. Not only am I in pain but now I’m so exhausted I have a hard time going from the bed to a chair in the other room. The frustration and anger I feel I realize are not helpful but it’s difficult not to feel it.
I’m a retired mental health counselor and have spent 35 years relying on my clear memory and ability to observe detail easily. Since January I struggle to remember a shopping list! Brain fog is the perfect description. The memory is in there I just have to sift through the fog to find it.
I’ve always been an avid reader but now have to reread pages over and over to retain the information.
All this to say I’m thankful to have found this group. It has been validating to read your experiences because I feel less alone. My family is supportive and patient but it’s not the same as speaking to people who are living with this. Thank you.
Replies to "Hi. I’m 58 and in January I had a bad case of COVID. I wasn’t hospitalized..."
@leslieter Hello there, I'm Rachel, it's nice to meet you. You definitely have a variety of obstacles, I'm sorry to hear that, but you came to right place.
Having experience in the mental health field must allow you to see more clearly (less the brain fog presently) the levels of chronic pain and assess yourself. Sometimes, however, when you're in your own soup, you're in your own soup. Forgive the expression, it's from an old co-worker of mine that said it to me when I was recognizing my chronic situations and mental health issues but couldn't find my way around them.
I live with CSS and understand how challenging it must be for you to manage symptoms. Covid adding to it must be frustrating. I'm glad you found this group.
Mayo's Pain Rehabilitation Center helped me tremendously learn how to manage physically, emotionally and behaviorally. PRC gave me self-managing tools, resources and a plan to work towards achieving better life quality, which was what I was lacking prior. You mentioned overdoing and not properly managing for your best outcome. PRC defines that as push/crash. Here's information about the program:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/pain-rehabilitation-center/sections/overview/ovc-204
Also, I'm curious if you've ever watched this video by Mayo's Dr. Sletten from the PRC about CSS? It's amazing and may help give some inspiration or direction:
If there is anything I can help you with or share more of, please don't hesitate to ask. One of the many tools I learned at rehab was to "pull in the viewfinder" and live in the next 5 minutes. Some days it comes down to that. Do you have any tips that have helped you get through the next 5 minutes?
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Hi @leslieter, I'd like to introduce you to @rwinney and @naturegirl5.
Les, I can imagine how deflating and frustrating it is to experience this additional blow of long COVID. When you were diagnosed with Central Sensitization Syndrome at Mayo, did you also attend the Pain Rehabilitation Center? If yes, it sounds like you may have to unpack your notes from that experience again. They apply to managing long COVID too.
I'd also like to guide you to a couple of other discussions and an expert blog to provide further connections and validation to your experience:
- Stalled Long COVID Recovery: What helps you get back on track? started by @ldropps https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/stalled-recovery/
- Early Care Tips for COVID Longhaulers by Dr. Vanichkachorn https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/post-covid-recovery/newsfeed-post/early-care-tips-for-covid-longhaulers/